


The Hero's Return

by SharonStark



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:00:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharonStark/pseuds/SharonStark
Summary: The universe has been restored, loved ones and friends have returned, but yet...the world feels a little quieter, and even empty, without him - the savior, the hero. Until one day, he returns. The hero comes home.





	1. Chapter 1

This is my short 3 chapter fix-it fic after the heartbreaking events of Avengers: Endgame. It helped me feel so much better while writing it and the love it has received on tumblr has warmed my heart so I hope you all enjoy it here, as well!

\-------------------------------------------------

It had been a few days since the war ended, since they defeated Thanos and lost… _him_.

The wounds were still fresh, both physically and emotionally, but more so emotionally, and how could they not be? A child lost her father, a wife lost her husband, and the world lost a Hero.

Celebrations had been held all over the world, both to celebrate the return of their loved ones and friends, and to celebrate the heroes that returned them and the heroes that they lost, all of them. But Pepper only watched them from home, with Morgan by her side, smiling at the kind words said for Tony, for Natasha…

God, she missed him. The house had been quiet without him and it felt…empty. There was no Tony Stark tickling his daughter until she cried with laughter and begged him to stop, there was no Tony Stark making a mess in the kitchen simply from washing dishes, no Tony Stark to give her that warm smile of his that made everything okay, no Tony Stark to get after for giving Morgan one too many cookies or juice pops, no Tony Stark.

Since the night of his passing, Morgan slept with Pepper in their… _her_ bedroom. She’d stroke her hair until she fell asleep, her eyes red and swollen from crying, and Pepper would fall asleep soon after, or so she would try. And when Morgan had her naps? Those were the times Pepper cried because as strong as she was, it wasn’t easy to remain so when every single room you walked into, you could still smell him, you could still hear him and see him, but he wasn’t there. And he never would be again. And that thought made Pepper break each time.

It was the third afternoon that Pepper was sat outside on the patio, with Morgan on her lap and a book in her hands, reading together. She had gotten the call earlier in the day that Steve was due to return the stones back to whence they came and awaited the call of his success.

**“Here,”** Pepper murmured with a smile, holding another half cookie out to her daughter when she finished yet another chapter of the book, pressing a kiss to her cheek. **“We’ll be done with this book soon with how well you’re doing,”** She praised and Morgan returned the smile.

**“Would Daddy be proud?”** She asked quietly, slowly nibbling on her cookie and glancing up at her mommy.

That made Pepper’s eyes water but she held back the tears and nodded, pressing another kiss to her forehead this time. **“He would be. He _is_ proud of you. You’re as smart as Daddy was, you know that? Even he thought so.”** She chuckled, giving her a gentle squeeze in her arms, the pain fading from her heart just from seeing the bright smile on her little girl’s face.

**“Another chapter, mommy?”** Morgan asked.

And Pepper nodded, waiting for her to look down at her book again before using one hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.

**“You know, I gotta say, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t keep this. And a little hurt.”**

The voice tore Pepper and Morgan’s gaze away from the book in unison, the book slipping from Pepper’s hands with Morgan gasping and sliding off of her mother’s lap.

Tony smirked as he stood there, with the first arc reactor he built for himself in his hands, the one Pepper placed in the lake surrounded by a wreath. He had a look of awe in his eyes as though he’d been watching them for a little while and his smirk turned more into a smile of pure relief and joy at the sight of them - he was home. He was _alive._


	2. A Soul For A Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of The Hero's Return! Thank you for all the Kudos and the comment! Much appreciated and I hope you all enjoy Part 2! The final, part 3, is coming soon!

**“Daddy? DADDY!”** Morgan screamed with tears in her eyes as she hurried over to him, while Pepper stood back for a moment and just...watched.

Was this _real?_ It couldn’t have been a dream, she knew she was awake so...what was it? It certainly wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her either because Morgan could see him, too, and he wasn’t a hologram either because...

**“Hey, you!”** He wasted no time in scooping the little girl up into his arms - dropping the reactor in his hands - and bringing her in for a huge like his life depended on it; his arms completely wrapped around her with her little arms barely wrapped around him. His own eyes welled with tears, but he didn’t bother holding them back - god, he didn’t care to. He was just so relieved to be back home, ecstatic to have his little girl in his arms again and hopefully soon, his wife, too.

Slowly, Pepper finally made her way over to him - her eyes wide, as though in disbelief of what she was seeing right now. Her body was even trembling a little and her heart racing even faster than it had on the battlefield, and the closer she got to him, the more the tears fell from her eyes and the more her heart raced.

**“Few tears for your long lost...husband?”** Tony asked, unable to help himself despite how shocked his wife was right now, but he understood why, and he met her halfway - moving closer.

**“Tony...?”** Was all she could manage - unable to come up with a witty answer this time. Her voice was barely above a whisper, barely audible as her voice cracked, and so slowly, so gently she reached out to touch him. A shock went through her body the moment her fingers made contact with his face - with _flesh_ \- stroking his cheek and just...taking him in, telling herself that this truly was real. That somehow, someway, Tony Stark, _her_ Tony Stark, was alive. 

And then he smiled at her - that warm, charming smile she had missed so damned much - and she pulled herself into him with a tearful cry of joy, his free arm wrapping around her while the other held Morgan. She took in a deep breath, his scent was the same, his warmth was the same, his voice was the same - he was the same and that made her hug him even tighter, so afraid to let go...for fear if she did, he would fade away.

**“I’m here, Pep. I’m back.”** He assured her, he assured both of them, as she held them as close as he possibly could, first kissing Pepper’s head then Morgan’s, then Pepper’s again and Morgan’s again. **“It’s okay, we’re okay...”** He said those words that she had told him just before he ‘passed’, before he went to rest, and now, having them in his arms, he felt completely re-energized; he didn’t need rest, he needed them. His family.

**“How, Tony...?”** Came her muffled voice just before she pulled her head back to look at him, her hand cupping his cheek again all the while Morgan sniffled and still clung to her Daddy. **“How are you...”** It was hard to even talk right now, she was so out of breath and so full of shock and relief that she was almost rendered speechless.

**“Because he’s invincible...right, Daddy?”** Came Morgan’s voice which made the two of them laugh and he pressed yet another kiss to her forehead. And another. He didn’t want to stop. 

\------------------------

They had moved inside of the cabin, now sitting on the couch with Morgan asleep in her father’s lap, and his hand lovingly stroking her hair with a look of absolute awe in his eyes; almost in disbelief himself that he was here in this moment. But god, was he glad. He got to be with his family again and all because of...

**“Steve.”** Tony broke the silence when Pepper sat down next to him, two glasses of ice tea in her hands and giving one to Tony. **“And the Soul Stone.”**

Pepper’s expression became confused, tilting her head as she took a sip of her tea. **“Didn’t he go return the stones?”**

**“Yeah. First of all, the idiot went on his _own_. He’s lucky nothing happened to him.”** Tony scoffed, but then smiled at the thought of his friend and Pepper smirked knowingly.

**“But uh, when he went to return the Soul Stone, he told the...ghostly guide thing,”** He shrugged at Pepper’s quirked brow. **“That he should get a soul in return..”** He sighed, looking down at his glass and keeping his voice low so Morgan could sleep. **“He was told it couldn’t be Nat, he wanted to try and get both of us back, but uh...since she gave her life _for_ the stone, it’s...”** He swallowed hard, and Pepper frowned, reaching out to place her hand over his.

**“Anyway, here I am..** ” He finished, taking a drink.

**“A soul for a soul...** ” Pepper whispered, her eyes on him; not daring to look away.

**“A soul for a soul,”** He repeated, setting the glass on the table in front of him and looking at Pepper, reaching out to take her hand back in his and bringing it to his lips.

She brushed her thumb against his lips and leaned forward to kiss him; a soft kiss that conveyed _so much_.

She needed to make sure and thank Steve later, as soon as possible. Because of him, she had her husband back, because of him, Morgan had her father back.


	3. Just Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale of my short story! I appreciate all of the comments and kudos so so much, it means a lot to me, thank you! I hope you all enjoy this final chapter as much as I did! I'll try to do more writing of these three in the future!

**"Alright, here’s your third and last juice pop. You’re gonna make Daddy go broke buying you all of these...I gotta stop.”** He teased his daughter as he handed her the juice pop which she eagerly took. 

**“Then maybe Mommy could go flying with us--...”** Before she could say more, his finger was on her lips to shush her. Mommy wasn’t supposed to know about that.

**“Shh, shh. Okay, you’ve made your point. Wow, you’re an evil genius, you know that?”** He smirked and she gave him the sassiest smile before running off and into her tent just before Pepper approached them.

**“An evil genius? What’d she do this time?”** She asked, overhearing that last bit. 

**“Uh, nothing. Just...you know, she, uh...”** He shrugged, trying to find an excuse. **“The way she uses those eyes to get what she wants.”**

Pepper smirked. **“Oh, you mean like you?”**

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but Pepper kissed him before he even good. 

**“Mm, fair point.”** He grinned against her lips, his arms wrapping around her. 

Once the kiss broke, Pepper pulled back but didn’t dare leave his arms, but she had a puzzled look on her face. 

**“What’s on your mind, Mrs. Stark?”**

She smiled hearing that name, she would _never _tire of hearing it. **“Does...anyone else know that you’re back, Tony? Besides Steve?”** __

____

____

Tony smiled at her, a bright smile that made Pepper wonder just what he was thinking about...or what he was up to. 

**“The kid does.”**

**“Peter?”** Pepper clarified and Tony nodded, the smile never leaving his face; instead it grew. 

_\----------------------------------_

**“Peter, there’s a package for you in your room. It came from Stark Industries...”** May informed him minutes after he came home and greeted her, almost hesitant to tell him because of everything that had happened only days ago. It was all still so new and sensitive for him and May had been careful not to bring it up unless he did so first, but given the package was for him, well, he needed to know and he would have seen it eventually. 

The word Stark was enough to make Peter’s stomach churn, the memory of _his_ death fresh in his mind. Only minutes before that he was being hugged by the man he admired, the man he saw as a second father...only to lose him, too. 

**“If you don’t want to open it now, you don’t --”**

**“N-no. No, I uh, I want to. I should...”** He swallowed hard with a nod, his gaze falling to the ground to hold back the tears he felt well in his eyes. **“Thanks, Aunt May.”** He offered her a strained smile before hurrying up to his room, finding the square package waiting on his bed. Was it from Happy? Or Pepper even? 

With a deep breath, Peter unwrapped the outside packaging and tore the tape off of the box itself, opening the lids and finding an envelope on the inside and underneath it another square box, but this one was smaller. 

So, he opened the envelope first and what he saw made Peter freeze; every part of him still except for his eyes. And his erratic heart. 

It was Tony’s handwriting. 

_“Hey, kid. Tony here, obviously. I mean, who else would be writing this?_

_First of all, no, this isn’t a pre-death goodbye letter. This is a ‘guess what? I’m alive’ letter. That’s right, you read that right. Let me guess, you’re re-reading it make sure what you didn’t misread that?_

_Well, no, you didn’t. I’m alive, kid. And I’m fine. I’m with Pepper again and Morgan, wow this is great. Can’t believe I get to say that again. Morgan told me you spent a lot of time with her after I was gone, said you made her laugh and snuck her a lot of cookies - yeah, she called you out. Get used to it._

_But thanks - thanks for watching out for her and thanks for watching out for Pepper, too. Thanks for watching out for me. You've always had my back and kid, I’m always going to have yours. That’s a promise._

_But hey, don’t say anything about this, alright? The only ones who know I’m alive are Cap, Pepper, Morgan, Rhodey and Happy and I’d like to keep it that way for a while. You know, kinda take a vacation and just be with Pepper and Morgan for a while._

_I’ll give you the details later when I see you which will be sometime soon, I promise, but until then, be careful out there, alright? Take care of yourself, of your Aunt May and just don’t do anything stupid._

____

____

_Who am I kidding? You’re a Hero, it’s gonna happen._

_Speaking of, in this box is my thanks to you for everything you’ve done. For Pepper, Morgan, for me, for the world. You’re a true Hero, kid, a true Avenger, and no one can take that away from you._

_I’ll see you soon._

____

____

_Your friend, your fan,_

_Tony Stark._

Peter was in tears by the time he got to the end of the letter and he was all smiles, too. He was alive. Mr. Stark was alive! 

He chuckled tearfully to himself before remembering the other box he had yet to open so after wiping his eyes, he took it in his hands and unwrapped the outside, revealing a blue and red velvety box. 

Inside were a few things: 

One was Peter’s spider symbol, created from some type of metal with the colors matching his original suit, that had the Gold Avengers insignia engraved right in the middle of it. On the bottom of the box, protected in a silver frame was a picture and Peter’s smile was ear to ear now. 

In the picture was Tony and Morgan - the latter dressed in a Spider-Man costume and doing a web shooting pose with Tony behind her, sporting a Spider-Man shirt of his own with the words ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man!’ on the front of it, showing his support for the hero. 

He turned it over and saw a short note with unfamiliar handwriting that read: 

_‘Thank you for always helping to keep Daddy safe and for helping me and Mommy when Daddy couldn’t be here. Love, Little Sister Morgan Stark._

Peter wiped the tears from his eyes, but they just kept coming - and he knew they would be for a while, but this time it wasn’t from loss. The elation he was feeling, the appreciation, and love - it meant so much to him. Tony told him that was a true hero, and he was an Avenger now, and more importantly Tony was alive! He was back and Peter was going to get to see him soon! He couldn’t wait for that day, he even punched the air excitedly at the thought of it. He was so tempted to go see them, to swing on over and give Mr. Stark a huge hug, but he knew they needed some time together, some peace and he wouldn’t dare disturb that. 

With another tearful chuckle, Peter wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt and stared down at the object in his hand. 

**“Peter?”** Came Aunt May’s voice as she knocked on the door, her voice full of concern and her eyes holding the same when she saw how red his eyes were. He’d been crying. **“Sweetheart, what is it? Is everything okay?”** She questioned as she hurried into his room, her hand immediately on his shoulder and her eyes falling to the box, wondering what was inside it that made her nephew so upset. 

Peter smiled. This time it wasn’t strained. This time it wasn’t sad. **“Yeah, Aunt May.”** He nodded, setting the objects down into the box. **“Yeah, everything’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”** And this time he was sure of it; there was no doubt in his voice, no uncertainty, no pain - everything was right in the world and for the first time in days, Peter felt like eating. 

**“Hey, how about we, uh, we go out for dinner, Aunt May?”**

_\------------------------------_

When Tony finished explaining what he had sent to Peter, Pepper was all smiles - she could just imagine the look on Peter’s face when he read that note from him. **“You know it’s going to take every ounce of him not to come here, right?”** She smirked, their hands entwined- loving the idea of it just being them for a while, and this time, with the world actually at peace. They needed it. 

He turned to look at her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. **“He’ll be alright. That kid’s strong, Pep.”** He stated and Pepper knew that, too. **“But for now, for a while, I just want it to be us. You, Morgan and me. No heroics, no...time travel, none of that.”** Eventually he would let the others know about his return, but not yet...he needed time with his family; time to enjoy them, to admire them, to just be happy. 

**“Just us,”** She smiled, leaning in as Tony met her halfway, their lips coming together. 

**“Daddy, can I have another juice pop?”** Morgan yelled as she came out of her little tent, her own little ‘Iron Girl’ helmet on her head that Tony made for her before he left those many days ago. 

**“I think you’ve reached your limit.”** He huffed as he scooped her up into his arms. She gave him a pout, her bottom lip sticking out and her eyes wide and pleading. They both knew _that_ look. The one that was hard to resist, well, at least for Tony, but Pepper knew it all too well because it was the look she inherited from him. 

**“Just one more?”** She whined, then looked at Mommy as though about to say something, but Tony quickly shushed her. 

**“Okay, okay. One more. But then that’s it for today? Deal?”**

**“Deal!”** The little girl beamed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

**“Wait, Tony. How many has she had today? I think --..”**

**“It’s just one more, Pep. Besides, they’re...fruity. That means they’re healthy.”** He defended with a shrug, hurrying towards the house before she could argue, Morgan giggling along the way. 

**“What? That’s not how that works!”** She laughed. **“Anthony Edward Stark, if you give her one more --”**

**“Sorry, can’t hear you! Got bad signal in here!”** She heard him call from the inside. 

Pepper sighed to herself, but the smile was still there - it always would be there now because life was good again. Life was _perfect_. Happy Endings did exist, but this? This was a Happy Beginning. 


End file.
